“You’ve Achieved The Bounce” Lou Phelps Interviewed

Lou Phelps epitomises everything that CLASH is on the lookout for: a young artist with a distinctive sound that effortlessly blends multicultural influences and styles into his own creative expression. His musical journey, which commenced over a decade ago in The Celestics, a duo formed alongside his brother, Kaytranada, has since blossomed into a thriving solo career. Now, with two albums and numerous singles under his belt, the Haitian-Canadian artist recently showcased his linguistic versatility by performing ‘Tu T’ens Souviens’ for COLORS, seamlessly combining English, French, and Haitian Creole in his songwriting. More than what can be seen as an ode to his roots, this track simultaneously offers a glimpse into his upcoming album, ‘Chelbé’, set to release later this year. As a composer, rapper, producer, DJ, polyglot, and fashion icon, Lou Phelps is – above all – a name to remember.

CLASH had the opportunity to meet up with the artist and go over some facets of his journey so far, just moments before his performance at the latest edition of Igloofest.

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Having the pleasure of speaking with “Montreal’s finest” himself, I think it’s only fair for me to ask: How would you describe the Montreal music scene?

I feel like the Montreal music scene is very alternative, very daring, I’d say. The rap scene itself is still finding its way, but soon enough we’ll get there. 

What were some of the challenges/opportunities you’ve faced developing your career (t)here?

Lack of support, because there hasn’t been a figure in Montreal yet that made it on an international scale. Well, there’s been a few, but no ultra-popular artists. Everyone wants to have that first spot and be the one that opens the doors for everybody, so no one’s helping each other. There’s no sense of camaraderie in Montreal. You have to be on your own and prove yourself, instead of finding your peers, and people that you could work with or whatever. So that’s a challenge that I’ve faced, definitely. 

You come from a multicultural background and recently released a song in your mother tongue(s). How was the experience of songwriting in languages in which you have varying degrees of familiarity? Do you find that you can express some emotions, concepts, or themes more easily in certain languages?

I find it easier to express myself, because in Montreal we have this language that we call “Franglais”, which is French and English mixed together, and that’s the language I speak with my friends and with my family. Adding a touch of Creole in there is a special touch, but I feel like I can explain myself much better with all three languages meshed together, and it also gives a bit of uniqueness to the sound. Yeah, definitely more comfortable. I’m going to do that way more often.

I think the themes don’t have to do with language, I think it’s more of a self… I have to work on myself to hit certain themes, but in terms of communicating what I feel, it’s much easier. Vocabulary is way broader, and I feel like it’s more artistic, so I prefer doing that.

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Your upcoming album ‘Chèlbè’, once again, emphasises that aspect of your roots. It’s an owe to authenticity, self-appreciation, and personal style. As a Black artist, how do you view the significance of personal creative expression through hairstyles — specifically, braids?

I think it’s just, you know, as you said, it’s braids, it’s culture, it’s our hair. It’s just a way of expressing yourself. It’s a very Black thing, so I guess that’s a… You know, instead of keeping it simple and keeping a classic braid, I like to switch it up. Sometimes I like to have twists, sometimes I like to have cornrows, sometimes I like to have designs, Bantu braids, like there’s a bunch of different styles that I could use, and it’s my own hair, something that’s part of me, something that grew out of me. Instead of buying clothes or whatever. Everyone could buy clothes, but your hair is a specific thing. I mean, everyone has their own styles and shit, but I don’t know, I feel like braids it’s always been an expression-thing for Black people. It’s always been in the black community, anywhere Black people come from. Definitely, a little touch of style, in there. A little touch of style. I could describe myself with my braids. Some people would look at me and have a certain idea of the type of person I am with my braids.

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As someone who values style a lot, and who’s also deeply inspired by 90’s rap, do you believe there’s a symbiotic relationship between fashion and hip-hop culture? Does that manifest in your creative work — and if so, how?

It’s always been. I feel like every artist well, every rap artist, every urban artist is somewhat in touch with their style, because it’s a form of expression, really. It’s just part of what you do. Like, for example, Playboi Carti or Kanye West. All of them are known for their music but also their style, and it’s all people that I grew up watching, all people that I grew up idolising. Pharrell is another one of them. And yeah, I mean just being able to express myself and do dope music at the same time it’s like: “How are you gonna look fly? If you don’t feel fly?” “How are you gonna make people believe that you’re doing your thing?”

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References can serve as a form of cultural short end, connecting listeners to shared experiences. How do you balance considering what’s accessible to a wide audience while still maintaining a sense of authenticity and specificity in your lyrics and in general, how do you navigate the expectations of an increasingly growing audience?

I think I don’t want to pay attention to the audience. I think I just want to do it for myself, do it for the culture, do it to just leave my stamp on history. I don’t care what the audience thinks, really, I just know it’s dope. If I feel like it’s dope, it’s dope. That’s the only thing I have in mind, because I used to be so infatuated by the idea of, like “Man, I have to make a hit” or “I have to do this” and then it wasn’t good for my mental health, it wasn’t good for for like the realness of the song, because it feels like it’s manufactured for the product rather than art, and I want it to be art more than anything. 

You often mentioned a bounce element in your work. How do you know you’ve hit that moment when everything comes together?

You just gotta feel it really. If you feel it in your chest, you feel it in your neck, you feel it in your hips, then you’ve achieved the bounce. It’s all about: if it feels funky, if it feels hype, if someone can jump to it, someone can dance to it, then you have that bounce. 

As you’re about to hit the stage: on this next album, is there any special feature or song that you’re particularly excited for fans to hear or for you to perform for the first time? 

The only feature I have on the album is with Goldlink, and he’s been kind of in the shadows for a minute, he’s finally coming back out, and I’m excited for people to hear what Goldlink has to offer again. I feel like it’s time. He’s a very talented artist. He just has to put some more stuff out, and I’m glad to be part of the people he puts stuff out with.

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Words: Sofia Batista